In This Issue:



On The Marble

Municipal Roundup

Federal Focus

CT Agency Corner

This Day in CT History

This Week's News:

CT public higher ed institutions brace for budget negotiations

Zoning, homelessness, eviction reform on 2025 CT legislative agenda

He's Still Not Throwing Away His Shot



Governor Lamont’s State of the State speech delivered on Wednesday came with a lot of anticipation and speculation from the public given his aggressive stance taken on maintaining fiscal guardrails for the state budget. Those who were anticipating a casual and diplomatic opening of the legislative session were certainly disappointed and those look to the Governor to present directives to the legislature were pleased.

The Governor began his tenure in 2019 with a speech where he famously quoted the musical Hamilton with the phrase, “Not throwing away my shot”, as the overarching theme of his sentiments for the legislature. That message was certainly reminiscent in this address where the Governor laid out very bold requests to improve the regulatory environment in the state:

Returning State Employees to In-Person Work

Governor Lamont express his strong desire to have all state employees end remote work and return to an in-person schedule but did not offer details on (1) If this would include all types of employees and (2) The timing on executing the vision. The agreement struck during the Pandemic was that unionized employees would be allowed to work remotely for up to four days a week depending on approval from their direct supervisory state agencies. This privilege has been granted through 2027, so in order for Lamont to be successful, his administration will have to think of a valuable item to use as part of the negotiations with SEBAC.

Decreasing the Cost of Energy

Two years ago in the Governor’s speech he asked the legislature to work on maintaining the cost of producing power. The same sentiments and frustration was shared by the Governor on a much different perspective. He stated in his speech, “Every business thinking about expanding in Connecticut or moving here asks about – no, not incentives – but the reliability and affordability of our electricity, as everything we do gets more energy intensive.” There are a number of proposals already being filed by the legislature to address this but overall the largest priority will be to address the controversial “public benefit” charge on power bills that made power bills last July hit record numbers.

Controlling the Cost of Prescription Drugs and Health Insurance Premiums

The “affordability” theme of the speech this year focused on not only energy costs but also the cost of medical care for Connecticut residents. Everything from the price of prescription drugs, which is being evaluated in a large task force with the state, to ways to keep health insurance costs more controlled was tasked by the Governor to each of the health care facilities this session. As a solution, Governor Lamont outlined his desire to tie pharma price increases to the rate of inflation for generic drugs which he believes will cut costs overnight by 50%.

Higher Education Expenses

Governor Lamont outlined a “tale of two college systems” in his mind where UConn continues to grow and maintain balanced budget approaches but the Connecticut State College University system is seeing a large decrease in enrollment and increasing costs. Citing a decrease in student enrollment by 30%, the intention to develop, “a balance between traditional classroom experience, and more dual enrollment, stackable credentials, and flexible, online classes” will assist CSU to adapt to this necessary change.

A Memorable and Appropriate Way to Begin Work

I think while many of these charges are ambitious, it’s important for an effective leader to open the session with a blank canvass and try to solve the largest problems in front of residents in the state. Governor Lamont deserves a positive score for setting an appropriate tone for legislators to begin their legislative session. 

Voters in Kent rejected a proposal to install speed cameras during a referendum on Tuesday, with 391 voting against the ordinance and 100 in favor. Similarly, 388 voters opposed appropriating $46,296 to purchase two speed cameras, while 103 supported the measure. First Selectman Martin Lindenmayer expressed disappointment but acknowledged the diverse reasons residents had for voting against the proposal. The draft ordinance proposed installing automated traffic enforcement devices approved by the state Department of Transportation, which would fine drivers $50 for a first violation and $75 for subsequent violations for exceeding the speed limit by 10 or more miles per hour.

While Kent voters declined the initiative, other Connecticut towns are exploring the use of speed cameras to address traffic safety. In Washington, speed cameras are set to be installed this month at key locations to curb speeding. Meanwhile, New Milford officials are considering a similar program but are waiting to evaluate the effectiveness of cameras in other towns. Lindenmayer emphasized the importance of community participation in the referendum, noting the high turnout of nearly 500 voters. Despite the setback, he remains committed to exploring alternative ways to enhance traffic safety in Kent.

The Connecticut Siting Council has approved Greenskies Clean Energy’s plan to build a 4,625-megawatt solar farm spanning 36 acres off Fawn Meadow Lane in Woodbury, subject to several conditions. The facility, designed to generate electricity for up to 400 homes, will not require town approval and will instead adhere to state environmental and noise standards, as well as erosion control measures. The council mandated adjustments such as relocating a transformer pad, consulting with neighbors on landscaping to mitigate visibility, and ensuring compliance with environmental guidelines. Although concerns about the project's size, visibility, and potential impact on property values persist, Greenskies assured residents that the solar farm has been designed to minimize neighborhood disruption. The land, originally planned for residential development, will be leased from Trofu Enterprises for the solar array installation.

January Confirmations

Later this month, we will inaugurate our next President. In the past few weeks, the focus of this particular segment of In the Loop has been around the implications of a new Trump White House. His administration has already made waves even before they have taken office. The incoming President’s choices for cabinet picks have been a huge topic of discussion, more than anything many have seen in their lifetime. A Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr, a Secretary Pete Hegseth, a Secretary Marco Rubio, and a Secretary Linda McMahon (among others) have been the talk of politicos across the country. The significance of these choices has not been lost on our state, and this coming week we will see our first nomination hearings in the US Senate. Let’s jump in and review what’s in store for the next few weeks.

The Senate Armed Services Committee will be tasked with hearing Pete Hegseth’s nomination for the Department of Defense in the coming days. An $800 billion budget and 2 million troops will be his responsibility if confirmed. A lot of those dollars flow to Connecticut, and we all know some of the troops and 800K defense workers that the pentagon supports. Connecticut is no slouch when it comes to DOD importance. Senator Richard Blumenthal sits on the Armed Services Committee and will be a huge player in these hearings. Look for him to talk about the impact this nominee would have on Connecticut, especially around veterans and support for our helicopter and submarine production.

Maybe the most controversial cabinet pick has been Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Senate Finance and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee have jurisdiction over this nomination. Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is a committee Senator Chris Murphy sits on. If every democrat votes against his nomination, he can only lose three republicans making this one of the more contentious votes. Kennedy’s potential role as a confirmed secretary has ramifications across the U.S., but in Connecticut, much of the research funding for our schools comes via HHS’ support. Get ready for a big fight in the coming weeks and look for our Senators to be at the forefront of some hard hitting questions to these nominees, and many others. 

State agency legislative proposals were released Wednesday morning giving us a window into the priorities each department plans to pursue this session. Almost all 25 of them are rooted in minor, technical and conforming changes like bringing Connecticut laws up to speed with new federal regulations and sun-setting outdated task forces and committees.

For each policy proposal, there’s a section where the agencies are required to fill information on fiscal impact and the anticipated cost of implementing their policy suggestions. Right below it is a box to check if the proposal does not have a fiscal impact. The vast majority that made it through the Office of Policy and Management’s (OPM) vetting process do not or they put the cost of the proposed program on municipalities, school districts, etc.

While the agency proposals are not endorsed by OPM, their staff plays a critical role in reviewing and coordinating agency proposals to ensure alignment with the Governor’s agenda and budget. In November, the Governor warned state agencies to tighten their belts and curb “all areas of spending,” and he has been vocal about his unwillingness to alter the fiscal guardrails to free up more cash. To that end, it’s no surprise that the agency proposals are void of substantive state expenditures this year.

January 1: A Shocked City Mourns the Death of Samuel Colt at Age 47

Today in 1862, gunmaker Samuel Colt died in Hartford. Though he was only 47 years old, Colt died one of the richest men in the United States and left a legacy of manufacturing and innovation that changed the face of Hartford, Connecticut to the Western American frontier and beyond.

Internationally recognized for his formative role in patenting the world’s first practical revolver and revolutionizing the arms industry by creating guns with fully interchangeable parts, few people realize that Colt endured years of failed business ventures before finding success and international acclaim with the Colt Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company. Colt had originally received a U.S. patent for his “Revolving Gun” in 1836 and soon founded an arms manufacturing venture in Paterson, New Jersey in hopes of mass-producing his patented pistol, but weak sales and a series of financial panics in the late 1830s caused the company to fold in 1843.

Fortuitously for Sam Colt, Captain Samuel Walker of the newly-formed Texas Rangers had used a Colt revolver during the Second Seminole War in Florida, and sought to place a large order of them on behalf of the Rangers, as long as Colt agreed to incorporate a number of improvements. Colt was happy to do so, and used the profits from the thousand “Walker revolvers” he sold to the Texas Rangers to create a new gun-manufacturing company in 1847, headquartered in Hartford. Following favorable reports of Colt’s revolvers from the Western frontier, the U.S. Army ordered thousands of revolvers for use in the Mexican-American War, launching the Colt brand to both national and international fame.

In 1855, Colt opened a massive factory complex on the banks of the Connecticut River that, at its height, employed thousands of workers and transformed Hartford into an international manufacturing hub. Sam Colt’s relentless sales tactics and aggressive defense of his patented firearms designs in court brought him both plenty of profits and plenty of controversy, as he had few qualms about selling weapons to opposing parties in any given conflict — including the American Civil War.

Colt’s death on January 10, 1862, stemming from an infection that was likely linked to gout, was sudden and unexpected, and left the city of Hartford in a state of shock. One mourner was quoted as saying, “it seemed as if the [city’s] mainspring was broken.” A few days later, nearly the entire city turned out to pay tribute to the fallen manufacturing titan, with 1,500 Colt workers and scores of military guardsmen and musicians forming a somber parade that wound its way through the spacious grounds of Coltsville (the neighborhood encompassing the Colt factory, Colt’s mansion, and the neighborhoods of factory-built housing for Colt’s employees). Today, Colt’s firearms-manufacturing legacy lives on, and the Colt factory continues to undergo restoration under the aegis of the National Park Service, as Coltsville National Historical Park.

To view the full story on the CT Historian's website, click here.